Extended Family: A Thanksgiving Story
by Zetor
Summary: Daria, Quinn, and Stacy are coming back home to Lawndale for a Thanksgiving dinner with both their families. Quinn and Stacy have a secret they're finally ready to share and Daria has an even bigger one she just overheard from her parents. Things are going to get worse before they get better, if they even do.


Stacy paced the length of Quinn's small dorm room for what felt like the hundredth time. "I don't know Quinn. I mean do we really _have_ to tell them? What if they freak out? What if they say they won't pay for college anymore and kick us out and we have to live on the streets and wear those icky rags and eat—"

Quinn gently took Stacy by the shoulders and guided her down onto the bed. Working her hands into the other girl's tense shoulders, she softly said, "Shh, it's okay. Your mom is, like, the most understanding person I've ever met and my parents were _hippies_ , they're not going to disown us."

Stacy groaned and relaxed into Quinn's ministrations. "I'm just scared. I mean, you hear all those stories. Can't we just wait a little longer?"

Quinn stopped working on Stacy's shoulders. "No," she said firmly, "it's been almost a year. I spent all summer pretending, and I'm not doing that again."

"I'm just scared of what people will think."

Quinn spun Stacy around so she could look her in the eye. "Stace, I know it's scary, but we can't keep avoiding this forever. I want to be able to tell my family what a cute, amazing girlfriend I have."

Stacy blushed and looked away. "I'm not amazing."

"Oh, but cute you're fine with?" Quinn asked, grinning and tilting Stacy's chin so she was facing her again.

Stacy grinned back and said, "I must be if I landed you."

Quinn angled her head and leaned in to kiss her girlfriend, Stacy meeting her half-way. When they finally separated both girls cheeks were flushed. "So we can tell them?" Quinn asked, short on breath.

"Okay, but you can't just win every argument by kissing me," Stacy said, pouting.

Quinn leaned back and grinned. "I'll stop when it stops working," she said, only to be hit in the face with a pillow.

* * *

Daria lay on the living room couch, reading. She hadn't been able to get comfortable in her room since her mother had torn down the padding and had it remodeled. It didn't have the privacy of the bedroom, but the living room was at least familiar and the sound of her father baking in the kitchen was strangely soothing.

The front door swung open and Helen walked in and headed for the kitchen. She walked through the living room without even noticing her eldest daughter, whose reclined position left her hidden behind the back of the couch.

Jake stopped mashing the sweet potatoes he was working on and looked up to greet his wife as she entered the kitchen. "Hey, honey! You're home late. You haven't worked that long in a while, is something wrong?"

"No, I just wanted to tidy up loose ends so I could focus on family tomorrow," Helen said with a tired look on her face.

"That's great! Remind me who all's coming over tomorrow? I want to make sure I make enough for everyone." Helen chuckled, her expression lightening. "What's so funny?" Jake whined, clearly insulted.

Helen smiled softly and put a hand on Jake's arm. "Sorry. It's just, two years ago I would have dreaded letting you near the kitchen for dinner, much less handle Thanksgiving."

Jake smiled goofily. "I guess my cooking _was_ a little out there."

"Just a bit," Helen said with a smirk. "You're amazing now though. I'm so glad you took those classes."

"I had to do something with my time. I guess there are some advantages to having the girls gone." He was quiet for a moment, then said, "I miss them, Helen."

With a long sigh, Helen said, "Me too, Jakey. Me too. They grew up before we realized it."

They stood together in a companionable silence for a while, both staring off into the past. Eventually, Jake asked, "So, how many people?"

Helen jumped a bit. "Oh, right. Just us, the girls, Quinn's friend Stacy, and her mother, Carol Rowe. Daria's friend Jane won't be here this year; she's off visiting her brother in Mirage, wherever _that_ is."

Jake's eyes widened. In a shaky voice he asked, "You said Carol _Rowe_? Um, how old is Quinn's friend again?"

Helen gave Jake an exasperated look. "She's the same age as Quinn, obviously; they went to high school together. Honestly, Jake, didn't you pay _any_ attention to our girls when they were growing up?"

"Um, Helen?" Jake asked, lowering his voice. "I know you don't like to talk about this, but do you remember when we separated for a few months before you found out you were pregnant with Quinn?"

Daria almost fell off the couch. Quickly recovering, she carefully set her book down and devoted all her attention to her parents' conversation, straining to hear the low voices coming from the kitchen.

In the same hushed tones as her husband, Helen responded, "Of course I remember." Her words held a mix of regret and frustration.

Jake forced himself to continue, "The woman I was seeing while we were separated, her name was Carol Rowe."

Helen's face went slack. Almost to herself, she started rationalizing, "It can't be the same woman. There must be hundreds of Carol Rowes, and we were living in Texas. Wait, are you saying you…"

"Something might have _broken_ one night. Damn cheap condoms!" Jake waved his hand in frustration, sweet potatoes flying off the masher he was holding and onto the cabinets.

Daria threw up in her mouth a little. She might have a sister. _Stacy_ might be her sister.

"And you never mentioned this before _because?_ " Helen asked, shock and confusion quickly giving way to anger.

Jake held up his masher, as if to shield himself. "We were just getting back together and things were still bumpy," he whimpered, "You were already mad I'd been with someone else; I was afraid you'd take the girls and leave if you knew. I figured that, if something happened, she would contact me and we could deal with it then."

"We _will_ talk about this later," Helen said firmly, glowering at her husband. "For now I'm going to go call… Carol… and get this all figured out."

"Um, shouldn't I—"

Helen's eyes flashed. "I think you've done plenty. You stay here and finish this damn dinner. If I have to welcome _your_ past mistakes into my house for Thanksgiving, they're not going to be able to say a single thing wasn't perfect."

Jake jumped back and cried, "Eep!"

Daria listened as her mother walked up the stairs, clearly struggling not to stomp. She contemplated trying to sneak upstairs to listen in on another handset, but decided she couldn't risk her father seeing her and realizing what she'd heard. Reluctantly, she picked up her book and tried to read, knowing she wouldn't be able to concentrate.

* * *

After her father finally finished his preparations for Thanksgiving dinner, Daria waited a few minutes and headed upstairs. Once in her room, she immediately grabbed the handset and dialed Quinn's cell number from memory. The phone rang through to her voicemail once, but on the second try someone picked up after a couple of rings.

"Hello?" came Quinn's groggy voice.

"Quinn, I need to ask you some questions," Daria said, trying not to give anything away in her voice.

"Daria, I have a four o'clock flight in the morning; I'm trying to get some sleep. You can ask me tomorrow."

"This is important," Daria stressed.

"Ugh, fine. What?"

Daria hesitated, then asked, "What's Stacy's birthday?"

"You called me up to ask me Stacy's birthday? That's real sweet and all, but can we just go over it tomorrow? I promise it won't come up before then."

"Quinn, this is important. Just tell me her birthday," Daria demanded, getting impatient.

"Geez, fine. Just calm down," Quinn said, starting to wake up. "It's April twenty-eighth."

"Two months after yours," Daria said, disbelieving.

"So you _do_ know my birthday. At least send a card next year."

Daria ignored Quinn and continued her questions, "Did Stacy ever live in Texas?"

"No, she was born in Lawndale. Daria, what's going on?"

Daria let out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding in. "Nothing, it doesn't matter. If she wasn't born in—"

"Oh, wait, her mom used to live in Texas. Does that matter?"

Daria cursed under her breath. "Quinn, one last question. This is very important." She felt her stomach tie itself into a knot. "Have you ever met Stacy's father?"

Quinn suddenly got very serious, her voice cold. "Daria, I don't know what kind of weird game you're playing, but I'm done. If you even mention Stacy's dad while we're down there, _especially_ in front of her, we are going to have way bigger problems than we ever did when we were kids."

"Quinn, wait! Trust me, this is important. We need—"

"Good _night_ , Daria."

* * *

"Don't worry Stace, soon we'll be in the air and it won't be so bad," Quinn said gently, rubbing her girlfriends hand to sooth her.

Stacy squirmed in her seat, trying not to look out at the wing. "I'm sorry Quinn, there's just so much that can go wrong, and—"

"Shh, it's okay. I won't let anything happen." Quinn silently cursed her mother for getting them seats on the wing. With her free hand she fished her phone out of her purse and stole a quick glance. The plane had been taxiing for twenty minutes. "I am going to kill someone if we miss our connection," Quinn growled under her breath.

"What?"

"Nothing, it's nothing," Quinn said quickly, "Just talking to myself. Let's talk about what we're going to do in Lawndale; that'll help take your mind off of things."

"Okay," Stacy said, taking a deep calming breath. "Well, today we're pretty much going straight to your parents' for Thanksgiving, then I'll go home with my mom for the night. That gives us two days before we go back Sunday afternoon."

"Right, so what do you want to do?" Stacy didn't respond, instead looking nervously out the window. Quinn raised her voice, "Stacy, what do you want to do in Lawndale?"

Stacy jumped and turned back to Quinn. "What? Oh, I don't know. I'm sorry, Quinn."

Quinn squeezed Stacy's hand. "It's okay, Stace; it's not your fault. How about I come up with some ideas and you tell me what you think? You have to pay attention though."

"Okay," Stacy said hesitantly.

Quinn tilted her head in thought for a moment, then her face lit up. "Okay, how about this. On Friday, when everyone else is being all lazy from eating too much, we'll pack up a lunch and go to that park you like, the one with the pond. We can have a little picnic, just the two of us."

Stacy smiled, visibly relaxing for the first time since they boarded the plane. "That sounds nice, Quinn."

* * *

Daria spotted Quinn and Stacy waiting outside the airport with their luggage and pulled her car up to the curb in front of them. She popped the trunk and got out to help them with what seemed like an unreasonable amount of bags for a three day trip. As soon as she reached the sidewalk, Quinn hurried up and pulled her into a hug.

"It's so good to see you! It's been months!" Quinn said, lightly squeezing Daria.

"Uh-huh, you too," Daria said as she disentangled herself from her sister.

"Hi," Stacy said, waving awkwardly from behind Quinn.

"Hi," Daria replied quickly, unable to maintain eye contact with Stacy. Turning back to Quinn, she said, "Let's get the car loaded up before airport security starts hassling us, then we can go get some coffee and talk."

"Good idea," Quinn agreed. She glanced back at Stacy and then said, "We have something we want to tell you."

Daria immediately thought back to what they'd talked about the night before, and hurried to load the car. Between the three of them it didn't take long, and they were quickly out of the airport and on the road to Lawndale. Daria pushed the speed limit, trying to get to a coffee shop so she could sit down with her sister, or possibly _sisters_ , and find out what they wanted to tell her.

Small pleasantries were exchanged in the car, talk about school mostly, but all three young women were too preoccupied to really pay attention to the conversation. Eventually they reached a Starbucks and piled out of the car. The store was mostly empty and, after ordering, they were able to find an out of the way corner to sit in without trouble.

Quinn spoke first, "Okay, Daria, what I'm going to tell you is really serious. You have to promise not to, like, make fun of it or anything."

"Alright, no jokes. Just tell me already," Daria said, eager to figure the whole thing out.

"Okay." Quinn put her hand on Stacy's and the two shared a look, ending with a hesitant nod from Stacy. Turning back to Daria, Quinn said, "We're gonna tell everyone later today, but in the past couple of years you've been someone I can really trust and I—" she looked back at Stacy again "— well _we_ , could really use your support when we do."

"Quinn, what are you talking about?" Daria asked, now genuinely confused.

"Stacy and I are dating. We've been together since New Year's."

"What?" Daria asked in shock, almost choking on her coffee.

Quinn gripped Stacy's hand harder, "I know it's kind of surprising, but—"

"You can't," Daria said in a numb voice.

"It's happening. I told you Quinn," Stacy whimpered, tears starting to fall.

Quinn's face flushed with anger. "What the Hell, Daria? I thought you of all people would understand this. How can you be so… so…"

Daria held up a hand to get Quinn to stop. "This isn't about you two dating, at least not how you think," Daria tried to explain, finally recovering. She paused, trying to figure out how to word what she was going to say next. "I think we're sisters."

"Of course we're sisters, although right now I wish we weren't."

"No, Quinn," Daria said, growing frustrated, "I think we're _all_ sisters." She circled her hand to indicate all three of them.

"What?" Stacy said, looking up from a tissue.

"Ha ha, very funny Daria. I told you not to joke about this," Quinn said, still fuming.

Daria looked back and forth between the two younger women, her eyes tired from a lack of sleep the night before. "I'm not joking."

Quinn tugged at Stacy's hand. "Come on, Stacy, let's get out of—"

Stacy didn't move. She looked Daria in the eye, and in a hesitant yet determined voice asked, "Why do you think we're sisters?"

"Last night I heard Mom and Dad talking. Apparently, they separated after I was born and got back together when they found out Mom was pregnant with Quinn. Dad had an 'accident' with another woman during that time. Her name was Carol Rowe."

Stacy gasped. "You mean…"

Quinn shushed Stacy. "That's it? Come on, Daria, there have to be, like, a _ton_ of Carol Rowes."

"I didn't say I was sure, but Stacy's birthday matches up and you said her mom is from Texas." Daria turned to the shell shocked Stacy, and asked, "When did she move to Maryland?"

"Right before I was born, so Grandma and Grandpa could help out…" Stacy answered, her voice empty. "Oh, god it's true." She pulled her hand away from Quinn. "Your Dad is…"

"We don't know that!" Quinn insisted, putting her hand on Stacy's arm.

Stacy recoiled and stood up. She muttered, "I think I need some air," and dashed for the entrance.

Quinn stood up and rushed after her, but by the time she reached the coffee shop's door, Stacy was already out of sight. She whirled around, intending to storm back over to her sister and demand the car keys, only to find Daria already walking toward her, the car keys and both their drinks in hand.

* * *

"You're going to have to talk to me sooner or later," Daria said, as they neared the Rowe house.

Quinn just folded her arms and looked away. When they finally reached their destination, she jumped out of the car before it came to a full stop and bolted for the door. She rang the bell, then waited for what felt like an eternity. When no one responded, she rang it again and again, until the chime from inside was a constant tone.

Daria rolled down her window and called out, "Quinn, does Stacy's mom use her garage?"

Quinn took a break from her abuse of the Rowe's doorbell and turned back to the street. "No, it's full of junk like ours. Why?"

Daria waved her arm, indicating the empty street and driveway. "I don't think anyone's going to answer the doorbell."

Quinn's shoulders sank and she dragged herself back to the car. As she slumped into the passenger seat, she moaned, "Why did you have to tell us?"

"Are you saying you'd rather I didn't? She could be our sister," Daria said, handing her sister her coffee.

"So what! We were happy, Daria. We're both girls; it's not like we would have mutant babies or anything." Quinn took a long drink from her cup, and continued, "I _finally_ got her to agree to come out to our families—do you have any idea how hard it was sneaking around last summer?—and now all her worst fears are coming true, and some new ones she didn't even have before. Stacy doesn't need new fears, she has plenty."

Daria stared at her sister, surprised. "You really like her, don't you?"

"Of course I like her; we've been dating for a year. Daria, I— I _love_ her." Quinn started to tear up, and continued, "I want to be there for her, share everything with her. And now that's what? Wrong? Because of something that I had no way of knowing? It's not fair."

"It's not like we know a hundred percent," Daria offered, "Her father could be someone else."

Tears were streaming down Quinn's face now, smearing her makeup. "Then why the Hell did you bring it up? Our parents would have told us if they figured it out, or maybe kept their mouths shut and saved us all this trouble."

Daria dropped her head and stared down at her hands resting on the steering wheel. "I'm sorry. I heard Mom and Dad talking and I freaked out. I just can't believe they kept that from us. They were separated. Was it my fault? If you hadn't been born, would they not have gotten back together? Would I have ended up being raised by Dad and Carol with Stacy as a half-sister?"

Quinn watched her normally unflappable older sister doubting herself, and pushed past her own pain to put a comforting hand on Daria's shoulder. "I know you've worried about this kind of thing before. It's not your fault."

"Then why did they get together for you and not me?"

Quinn sighed. "I don't know. Mom and Dad are stupid. It's not your fault, though. Even if they broke up because of something to do with you, that was their mistake. It wasn't anything you did. You were, like, one."

Daria looked up with a smirk. "I don't know, I remember you being pretty annoying at one."

"Ha," Quinn said dryly, smiling and taking her hand off of her sister's shoulder. "Are you okay?"

"I'll manage. You're surprisingly good at comforting people."

"I've had a lot of practice. Stacy's a lot better than she used to be, but she still has a lot of problems."

Straightening up, Daria asked, "So where to now? There must be somewhere else she could have run off to."

Quinn tilted her head and tapped her chin in thought. "Of course!"

* * *

Daria pulled the car up to the edge of the park. Before getting out, Quinn turned to her sister and said, "You're being surprisingly supportive about this whole dating my possible half-sister thing."

"I'm either helping my sister and her girlfriend, helping my sisters, or both. If it's the last one I'll finally be able to top Jane's weird family stories."

Quinn smirked. "Thanks for your support."

"Good luck, I'll be waiting."

Quinn climbed out of the car and into the cool November air. After a short jog, she found what she was looking for, a pigtailed brunette sitting on a bench staring out onto the water. Walking up to the bench from behind, Quinn asked, "Mind if I join you?"

Stacy jumped at the sound, startled from her thoughts. "Um, sure." Her voice was rough and her face was red from crying.

They sat in silence for a while, looking over the lake, until Quinn said, "It's not necessarily true."

"I know, but what if it is?" Stacy asked, turning to face Quinn.

"I don't care," Quinn said, still looking out at the water.

"What?" Stacy asked, unsure she'd heard right.

"I. Don't. Care." Quinn turned to face Stacy, grabbing her by the shoulders. "I like you Stacy; I _love_ you. Nothing will change that. Even if it's true it doesn't change how I feel."

Stacy looked down at the bench. "Quinn, I feel the same way, you know I do, but we could be sisters."

"Half-sisters," Quinn corrected. "And like I said, it doesn't matter. We're still the same people we've always been. Did anything we did before seem wrong?"

"I guess not. It's just… weird. It feels like we're doing something bad."

"Does it?" Quinn cupped Stacy's chin and lifted up her face. Quinn leaned in and kissed Stacy, warming her cold lips. For a moment, Stacy returned the kiss, but she quickly pulled back and looked away. "Stacy?" Quinn asked, fear creeping into her voice.

"Damn it, Quinn, you can't do that. It's not fair."

"I just—"

Stacy turned back to face Quinn, angry. "You just thought you'd kiss me and all our problems would go away! You always do this; you try to avoid dealing with things and skip straight to making up. This is too big for that, and it's not just about us. I could have a dad, one I know is a good guy. My mom could have been hiding him from me this whole time."

"That just proves it isn't true," Quinn argued, "Your mom wouldn't lie to you like that."

"Why not? Your parents did," Stacy shot back. Shaking her head and calming her voice, she said, "You're missing the point; I'm not sure if I _want_ it to be true or not."

Quinn was stunned for a brief moment, then said, " _You're_ missing the point. I don't care either way. I still love you."

"It's not that simple. Can't you see I'm having a hard time with this?"

"I get it, and I want to be there for you. I just…" Quinn dropped her gaze. "I'm afraid I'm going to lose you."

Stacy took Quinn's hands in hers, causing Quinn to look up. "Quinn, I don't know if we can stay the way we were, but I promise you will always be my best friend."

Tears began to inch down Quinn's cheeks while a bitter smile worked its way across her face. Letting out something between a chuckle and a sob, she said, "I guess I deserve that. Do you know how many guys I've told 'Let's be friends'?"

Stacy looked like she'd been struck, "Quinn, I didn't mean it like—"

Quinn pulled her hands out of Stacy's. "It's fine; I get it. You've got a lot to deal with. Getting to know your dad is something you've wanted since before we met, and you might have found him. I'll be there to help you however I can, just know I'm not giving up. I love you, Stacy, and I promise that won't change."

"Quinn…" Stacy said, clearly conflicted.

Wiping her eyes and standing up, Quinn said, "Come on, Daria's waiting and I'm sure Mom is having a fit over us being late for dinner."

* * *

Daria watched as Quinn walked away and pulled out her cell phone. She dialed her mother's phone and waited. Helen answered before the first ring was through, "It's Thanksgiving and I'm spending today with my family. I don't care—"

"It's me, Mom," Daria cut in.

Helen dropped her business manner and switched to lecturing mother. "Daria? Where are you girls? It's past four, dinner's going to get cold."

"We need to talk," Daria said, dead serious.

"Daria?"

"I heard you and Dad in the kitchen last night. About your separation… and Ms. Rowe."

"Oh." Daria could hear the color drain out of Helen's face. "I suppose you want to know—"

"No, I don't, and I don't want you to tell anyone else. Quinn and Stacy are dating, or they were anyway. Your little secret may have broken them up. When we get home, you three aren't going to say anything, and, if they ask, you'll tell them that we're not siblings. I don't care what the truth is."

"Quinn and Stacy are dating?" Helen asked, sounding overwhelmed.

"Yes, act surprised if they tell you. Make sure you tell the other two and that Dad doesn't screw it up, although I guess he's better at keeping secrets than I thought," Daria said bitterly.

"Daria—"

"We should be there in around thirty minutes," Daria said bluntly, hanging up the phone before her mother could respond.

* * *

Daria pulled up in front of the house and turned around to address Quinn and Stacy, who'd barely said a word the entire ride home. "Alright, I don't know what's going on with you two, but we're going to need a plan before we go in there."

"Plan?" Stacy asked.

"They don't know that we know anything about when Mom and Dad were separated," Daria explained. "I'd rather keep it that way if at all possible. If they don't say anything, neither should we. Them keeping quiet just means they found out we weren't related and decided to keep us in the dark about the whole thing, understand?"

"I guess that makes sense," Quinn said, after a little thought.

"Okay…" Stacy agreed, hesitantly.

"Also, we need an excuse for getting here so late. If they ask, just tell them we ran into some friends from high school when we were getting coffee."

"Wow, Daria, you really thought this through," Quinn said, a hint of suspicion in her voice.

"I had a lot of time waiting for you two at the park, and Lawndale's radio isn't exactly suited to my tastes," Daria said flatly, "Now, let's get inside before the food gets any colder than it already is." Without waiting for a response, Daria got out of the car and walked to the front door.

Before she could open it, her father and a woman who had to be Carol Rowe burst out of the door. The resemblance was uncanny. She looked just like an older Stacy with shoulder length hair and a rounder face. The parents rushed past Daria and nearly tackled Quinn and Stacy. Daria walked into the house and found her mother sipping a glass of wine in the kitchen.

"Daria, welcome back! Was the drive from the airport okay? You took a while," Helen said, acting completely natural.

Daria shot a glare at her mother. Her voice more devoid of emotion than usual, she said, "The drive was fine. We ran into some people they knew from high school and I got stuck waiting for them to finish catching up; you know how Quinn is. Can we eat now?"

"Um, yes, of course," Helen answered, clearly shaken. Turning towards the front door, she called out, "Alright everyone, come inside. There will be plenty of time for catching up later; dinner's waiting."

In short order, everyone was seated around the table. Jake at the head, with Helen beside him; Daria next to her mother; Quinn and Stacy across from them; and Carol at the end. Jake reached for the turkey and Helen slapped his wrist. "Jake," she admonished, "we have to say what we're thankful for."

Jake quickly retracted his hand, rubbing his wrist. "Oh, right. Sorry. Um, I guess I'm thankful for having my girls here for Thanksgiving." He looked over Daria and Quinn warmly. "Every time I get to see you girls I get a chance to make up a little of the time I wasted while you were growing up. I'm really thankful for that."

"Um, gee, thanks Dad," Quinn said blushing.

"Yeah," Daria agreed, also somewhat flustered by her father's statement.

"I'll go next," Helen said, "I'm thankful that I'm finally in a position at work where I can take a holiday with my family and not get phone calls all day."

"The pay increase doesn't hurt either," Daria added under her breath.

"Your turn, Daria," Helen said, staring pointedly at her daughter.

Daria stared coolly back. "I'm thankful for all the people in my life who I can trust."

Looking rather uncomfortable, Carol said, "I guess I'm next. I'm thankful that Stacy and I have such wonderful people to share Thanksgiving with. It's been just the two of us since my parents died, so it's really nice to have someone to spend the holiday with."

"Hey, we're happy to have you," Jake said with a smile. "It's always fun to cook for more people."

"Yes, of course," Helen said rather coolly.

"Stacy, how about you?" Carol asked.

Stacy thought for a minute and shyly said, "I guess, I'm thankful for the new possibilities that turn up every day, even when we'd given up hope."

Quinn looked over at Stacy sadly and said, "I'm thankful for… for…"

"Quinn, sweetie, it's okay. I know Daria told you some things she overheard—" Helen began.

"Mom…" Daria said, warningly.

"—but you don't need to worry, you and Stacy aren't sisters."

Daria turned to glare at her mother. "Damn it, Mom. Can't you do one thing right?"

"Look, Daria, now that they know the truth, they won't have to worry and they can tell us that they're dating," Helen explained, trying to mollify her daughter.

"You told her we were dating?" Quinn cried in shock.

Jake grinned and turned to Quinn. "You're dating someone? That's great. Who's the lucky fella? You should have brought him down for Thanksgiving."

"I _told_ her not to say anything," Daria said to Quinn. Turning to Helen, she added, "I thought she could handle a little lie for everyone's benefit, given the big one she's been keeping up for the past couple of decades."

"Daria, I—" Helen started.

"Dad, I'm not dating a guy," Quinn said, frustration building, "and I did bring my girlfriend, or at least she _was_ my girlfriend before we found out about you and Stacy's mom."

"Quinn," Stacy said, putting a hand on Quinn's arm.

"Helen, I thought we agreed not to discuss this with the girls until we got things figured out for sure," Carol said, cutting in on the conversation.

"Got what figured out?" asked Stacy, turning away from Quinn to face her mother.

Jake sighed, and, in a tired voice, said, "Well you see, before you and Quinn were born—"

"Damn it, Jake, can't you see they've already figured that part out?" Helen said, condescendingly.

"Does she always talk to you like that? God, Jake, why did you have to go back to her?" Tears shimmered in Carol's eyes and she slammed her fist down on the table in frustration, shaking the dinnerware. "We could have been so happy together; I would never treat you like that."

"She was having my baby! What was I supposed to do, walk away?" Jake shouted, throwing up his hands in frustration.

"I might have been having your baby too!" Carol yelled back.

"Then why didn't you tell me! I would have—" Jake cried, anguished.

"Would have what?" Helen interrupted, her voice dripping with acid.

"I sure am glad _I_ wasn't worth staying together over," Daria said, before they could go any farther.

An uncomfortable silence fell across the table as the parents grew quiet. Eventually, Helen said, "Sweetie, it's not like that. Your father and I—"

"You never told her?" asked Carol, shocked.

"Never told me what?" demanded Daria.

Jake looked over at Helen for guidance, but she was lost in her own thoughts. "N-nothing kiddo," He stammered.

Carol looked between Jake and Helen. "I can't believe you two. She's an adult and she deserves to know." She turned to Daria and gently said, "Daria, Jake—"

"At least let me tell her," Helen sighed, defeated. "Daria, your father and I both love you very much—"

"We do, kiddo, and I'll always be your dad," Jake added.

"—but your father isn't, well he isn't your biological father."

Daria sunk into her chair. "Well, I guess that explains why I wasn't important enough to save a marriage. I wasn't your kid."

"Kiddo, it's not like that," Jake pleaded.

"You left while I was there, and you came back for Quinn. The facts pretty much speak for themselves," Daria said, pushing her chair away from the table and standing up. She raised her wine glass to Stacy. "Here's to secret fathers, apparently they're more common than you'd think." With that, she drained the glass and left the table.

There was another long silence as Daria made her way up the stairs. It was finally broken by Stacy pointedly asking her mother, "If Daria deserves to know about her father because she's an adult, why haven't you told me who _my_ father is?"

"Stacy, honey, it's… complicated," Carol said, clearly uncomfortable.

Quinn, staring after Daria and clearly torn between going after her and staying with Stacy, snapped. She whirled around and faced Carol. "Everything's complicated! My sister has a different dad, my girlfriend might have the same dad, and all our parents have been lying to us our entire lives! Keeping us in the dark isn't making things any less complicated!"

Stacy put a hand on Quinn's arm, and gently said, "Quinn, go help Daria."

Quinn blushed at her outburst. "Are you sure?"

Stacy nodded. "I think I need to do this on my own, and she needs you right now."

"If you say so. If you need me, just call." Quinn started to reach out to hug Stacy, but stopped midway. Quickly turning away, she stood up and ran after Daria.

Stacy watched Quinn for a moment, then turned back to her mother. "So?"

Carol sighed and returned her daughter's gaze. "Honestly? I don't know. Jake and I were together, and then he went back to Helen when she found out she was pregnant." Carol's face and voice fell as she talked about Jake leaving. "There was another man after Jake, we were only together once, who could be your father, or it could be…"

"Jake," Stacy finished, looking at the man in question.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Jake asked.

"What should I have said?" Carol asked, trying not to cry. "'I know I didn't mean enough to you to make you stay, but look, now I'm having a kid too.' I couldn't do it. What if you still chose her?"

"He _did_ choose me," Helen said emphatically.

"What about me?" Stacy demanded. "I grew up without a dad, and you'd never even talk about it."

Carol shook her head. "I'm sorry, honey. It wasn't fair to you. I was just a stupid kid when all this happened, and it hurt to think about what might have been. I should have talked to you about this a long time ago."

"So, what now?" Stacy asked.

Helen let out a long breath. "Now, we get a paternity test. I'll have to pull some favors, but I think I should be able to get a lab that does a lot business for the firm to run a test before the girls have to go back to school."

"I'm not looking for child support, or—" Carol began.

"Which is good, because Stacy is an adult and you're the one who kept her a secret for twenty years," Helen cut in harshly. "We're getting the test so that your daughter can finally find out who her father is, and whether or not it's appropriate for her to be dating my daughter."

"Um… thanks, Mrs. Morgendorffer," Stacy said hesitantly.

Helen smiled at Stacy, her personality doing a complete one-eighty. "It's no trouble dear, you were always the nicest of Quinn's friends. I hope everything works out and the two of you can have a happy life together. Now why don't you go check on her and Daria and bring them some food?"

Sensing the tension between the other three people at the table and not wanting to get caught in the crossfire, Stacy nodded and said, "Good idea, I think I'll go do that." She piled up three plates with food, balanced them carefully, and left for Daria's room as quickly as she could.

* * *

Quinn tried the doorknob for the third time. Finding it still locked, she resumed pounding on Daria's door. "Daria, come on, let me in. You know I won't stop."

"Go away, Quinn," Daria said through the door, "Shouldn't you be celebrating? You were right all those years; we really aren't sisters."

Quinn leaned her back against the door. "And here I thought I couldn't regret that any more than I already did. We're still half-sisters, Daria, and we're still sisters in every way that matters. Please let me in; you shouldn't be alone right now."

"I don't know. I've heard what you do with your half-sisters behind closed doors. I don't swing that way."

"Ew, gross," Quinn said, making a face.

"Don't let Stacy hear you say that, it might kill whatever chance you have left."

Quinn sighed and sank down to the floor, back still against the door. "I think it might already be too late for that. Thanks for trying though."

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Daria said evasively.

"I'm not stupid, Daria. You obviously told mom not to bring this whole thing up, and you told Stacy and I to think everything was fine if no one brought it up. You were trying to get us back together." There was no response. "Daria?" Quinn asked, a little afraid.

Daria's sigh could be heard through the door. "Relax. I'm not going to kill myself over finding out I have a different father." The door opened and Quinn almost fell in, quickly righting herself and joining Daria on the new white queen sized bed that dominated the room.

"It's weird seeing your room like this," Quinn said looking around.

"Yours looks pretty much the same, you know."

"What!" Quinn cried out.

"At least we're even in some regards," Daria said dryly.

Quinn gave a tired chuckle. "We were never even. You were smarter and I was better with people. Mom and Dad played us against each other our whole lives, but I don't think they ever loved one of us more than the other."

"I know that on some level, but at one point they must have cared more about you. They split up when I was a baby and got back together for you. Then they lied about the whole thing. I don't even know anything about my real father."

"At least you grew up with one," Stacy said from the doorway, balancing three plates of food. Quinn jumped up and helped her distribute the food. Sitting down on the floor across from Daria and Quinn, Stacy added, "Sorry, that came out wrong. I can't imagine what it's like to find something like that out, for me it was always just the way it was."

"So what's going on down there?" Daria asked, before spearing a piece of turkey and shoving it in her mouth.

"I don't know, but I'm not going back down to find out; it looked like our moms were about to kill each other, and—" Stacy seemed to struggle for the right word "— _Jake_ was just sitting there looking confused and terrified," Stacy said, looking afraid herself.

"So our dad—" Quinn shot a guilty look at Daria. "Er, I mean—"

"He raised me Quinn, it's okay to call him our dad," Daria said, "even if he did lie to me about it for twenty one years."

"Okay," Quinn said with a nod, before turning back to Stacy. Her voice full of trepidation, she asked, "Is our dad… your dad?"

Stacy shook her head and shrugged. "I still don't know. My mom said it was either him or some one night stand. Your mom said she was going to get a test done this weekend; she seems like she really wants it to be the other guy. I guess that makes sense," Stacy said, looking down.

"At least we'll know," Quinn said, uncertainty creeping into her tone.

The three fell into an awkward silence, poking at their food and occasionally taking a bite. After a few minutes of this, Daria stood up and walked to her closet. After rummaging around for a bit, she sighed and mumbled, "She must have put them in the attic."

"What are you looking for?" Quinn asked.

"My old VHS player and some tapes," Daria explained as she headed for the door. "It's Thanksgiving, and I figured as long as I'm not stuck at the dining room table, it would be appropriate to watch some _MST3K_."

"Oh, like the old marathons," Stacy said, looking up from her plate.

Daria and Quinn both turned to look at Stacy in surprise. "What?" asked Quinn, now thoroughly confused.

" _Mystery Science Theater 3000_ , I used to watch it with my mom. It's really funny," Stacy explained.

"This is one of those geeky things you don't tell me about, isn't it?" Quinn asked.

"Only because you get bored when I talk about them," Stacy answered, her tone more placating than defensive. "You'll like this though."

Daria looked at Stacy with a newfound respect. "I'm going to go look in the attic, but we're definitely talking later. Don't touch my food."

Quinn and Stacy picked at their food for a few more minutes, awkwardness growing now that they were alone. Finally, Quinn set her plate aside and asked, "So, when will we know?"

Stacy set her utensils down on her plate and swallowed a bite of dressing. "Your mom didn't say, just that it would get done this weekend."

"Oh," Quinn said, disappointed. "Um, how are you doing? This must be a lot to take in."

"I'm trying not to think about it. I mean, I might finally have a dad, but he would be _your_ dad, and that would mean we couldn't… shouldn't…" Stacy trailed off as she took a deep breath and wiped her dewy eyes. "Either way I lose something precious, it's just not fair."

Quinn suppressed the urge to get off the bed and hug Stacy. "Let's just take it one step at a time, okay? First we'll find out, then we'll decide what to do. There's no point in worrying about it before then."

Stacy sniffed. "It's not just that. My mom lied to me. My entire life she knew who he might be and she never talked about it. He's been right here in town for five years and she never told me! They dated, Quinn! I think she still loves him and your mom hates her and everyone is lying and I don't know what to do," she cried, tears starting to fall.

Almost on instinct, Quinn leapt off the bed and hurried over to Stacy. She knelt down and wrapped an arm around Stacy, gently stroking her arm. "It'll be okay, Stacy. In a few days we'll be on the other side of the country and we won't have to deal with them anymore. Everything will go back to normal."

Stacy reluctantly shrugged off Quinn's arm and turned to face her. "Quinn, it won't necessarily be the way it was."

"That's not what I meant. I think. I don't know, maybe it is. This isn't fair; I just want to hold you and tell you everything will be alright."

"I know Quinn, it's just…"

"I meant it when I said I don't care," Quinn said, firmly.

"What am I supposed to say to that?" Stacy pleaded.

"Am I interrupting something?" Daria asked from the doorway, balancing a VHS player on a box of video cassettes.

"Um, no, nothing. Right, Quinn?" Stacy said, glancing nervously at Quinn.

"Right, nothing," Quinn sighed, looking down.

Daria gave the two an odd look and shrugged, walking over to the room's TV and setting down her load. She dug through the box and pulled out two tapes. Holding them up to Stacy she asked, "Joel or Mike?"

* * *

About an hour into the first episode, there was a knock on the door. Daria hit pause, got up, and went to the answer it. Opening it, she found her father, looking more serious than she could remember seeing him.

"Hi Daria. Can we talk for a minute?" he asked, sounding like he was afraid she would say no.

"Funny, I was expecting Mom," Daria said, genuinely surprised.

"Your mom wants to talk to you too, but she's still pretty worked up about…" Jake said, not needing to finish the sentence.

"Right. Alright, let's get this over with." Daria tossed the remote to Stacy. "Stacy, I trust you'll continue my sister's education?"

"What? Oh, right. Don't worry," Stacy replied absently.

"Um, what are you girls doing?" Jake asked, looking uncomfortable.

"Don't worry Dad, they're just trying to turn me into a geek," Quinn said dismissively. Her expression softened and she added, "Good luck, Daria."

Daria nodded in acknowledgement and followed her father out of the room, closing the door behind her. They walked down the hall to Quinn's old room; it was much the same as Daria's, the overwhelming pink replaced with neutral tones and a tasteful queen sized bed. They awkwardly sat down next to each other, neither knowing where to start. As the silence stretched on, Daria finally said, "So, you're not my dad."

Jake turned to look at her and emphatically said, "Kiddo, I've never felt that way."

"Never?" Daria asked accusingly.

Jake's shoulders slumped. "Well, not in a long time. I think of you as my daughter now though, but I guess that's probably kind of hard to believe right now."

"Surprisingly, no. I mean, I still think of you as my dad. You raised me. You may have been pretty ham fisted and let Mom do the heavy lifting, but you were always there. If you didn't think of me as your own, I'm pretty sure you wouldn't have done that, especially considering all the trouble I caused growing up."

"Aw, kiddo, you never really did anything bad, you were just being yourself. Sometimes some people couldn't understand that, that's all. Trust me, I always preferred getting a call telling me you were too smart or wouldn't put up with some injustice to one from a credit card company with a huge bill." Jake seemed to realize what he'd just said and added, "Um, don't tell your sister about that last part, okay?"

A small smile formed on Daria's face and she said, "I'll think about it, and… thanks. So, where is he now, my birth father?"

Jake turned from Daria to stare down at the floor. "He's dead, Daria. He died before you were born. It was a car accident. Well, not really an accident." Jake clenched his fists and growled, "Damn drunk rich kid in his damn Ferrari swerving all over the road."

Daria felt the world fall out from underneath her. He was dead. She'd thought she could track him down and meet him, ask him why he'd never contacted her, but now there was nothing. After taking a moment to recover, she interrupted her father's rant about entitled brats, fancy cars, and lenient judges, and said, "It sounds like you knew him."

Jake snapped back to the present and looked up at his daughter. "Of course I did, Daria. Craig was my best friend."

"Craig?"

"Your father, Craig Meyers. He went to school with your mom and me. He was probably the smartest guy I've ever known; he was always either reading a book or talking about some complicated issue, a lot like you. He and your mother were made for each other; they loved each other more than anything. They got married about a year before you were born, six months before he passed. I was his best man."

"So my dad, Craig, and Mom were married. No offense, but why am I a Morgendorffer? Shouldn't I be Daria Meyers? And how did you and Mom end up together?"

Jake sighed. "Your mother and I were both very young, and we both needed someone to hold onto after Craig passed. Maybe we mistook that for love, I don't know. Your grandmother started getting after your mother about having a baby out of wedlock, and I offered to step up. We were married before we really knew what was happening. Your name's Morgendorffer for the same reason, your grandmother thought it wouldn't look good for Helen to have a baby with a different name than her husband."

"And you two just went along with all this? It's hard to imagine Mom just rolling over like that."

"Your mom and your grandmother got along a lot better back then; Helen trusted her. We were still in shock from losing your father too. We both needed to keep moving forward, having something to do distracted us."

"I guess that explains why your marriage didn't do so well," Daria said dryly.

"I don't regret marrying your mother, I got you girls out of the deal after all, but we did rush into things. I wasn't Craig, and your mother wanted me to be. You… you were another reminder of him. I loved you and I did my best to take care of you, but I couldn't help seeing him in you every time I looked at you. I could never measure up; I still can't. Your mother and I started fighting all the time, and I just couldn't take it anymore. I left. It was wrong, and I'm sorry, and I'd take it back if I could, but that's what happened."

"But you came back when you found out about Quinn," Daria said, more bitterly than she'd intended.

Jake sighed again. "Yes, I did. When I found out Helen was pregnant, I felt horrible. It reminded me of the fact that I'd run away and abandoned my family, you included. I came back _because_ of Quinn, I came back _for_ all of you."

"I suppose that makes some kind of sense," Daria said, "but it still doesn't explain why you never told me about all this."

Jake shrugged and shook his head. "You'll have to ask your mother. I've tried to talk to her about it, but she gets mad every time I bring it up. Maybe I should have told you, but I felt like it was her secret to tell. I'm sorry you had to find out this way."

"Given the circumstances, I guess I can't really blame you. Thanks for being so honest with me."

Jake brightened up a bit, smiling at his daughter. "Of course, kiddo. I'm just glad I finally can; I hate lying to you."

"Okay, well, I've got a lot to think about. I'm going to go back to my room now," Daria said, standing up. When she got to the door, she stopped, turned around, and said, "Um, I realize not a lot of people would do what you did, so thanks for raising me and loving me as your daughter." Before Jake could respond, she ducked out of the room.

* * *

The door to Daria's room swung open, revealing an exhausted Daria. Stacy quickly got out of the way as she dropped down onto the bed and fell onto her back.

"Daria, are you okay?" Quinn asked, leaning over her sister.

"My dad is dead."

Stacy gasped and Quinn asked, "Is there anything we can do? I mean obviously not about him being dead, but—"

"I'll be okay, Quinn," Daria said, pushing herself up to a sitting position. "I just need a while to let everything sink in. For now I'd just like my room back." Glancing at the clock she said, "Stacy, you'd better go grab your mom and go home, assuming ours hasn't stuffed her and mounted her on the wall yet."

Stacy shivered slightly at the imagery, then looked at the clock and said, "You're probably right. I'll just take the dishes down and go."

"I'll help," Quinn said, starting to pick up plates.

As Quinn and Stacy were leaving, Stacy turned and asked, "Um, can I come over and watch movies or whatever this weekend? I don't really feel like going out, but I don't really want to be alone either."

Daria, now lying down, raised her head and said, "Why not? My usual partner in crime is out of town and I could use the company."

"Thanks, bye," Stacy said with a small smile, before heading out the door.

Quinn hung back a moment, then said, "Thanks for looking out for Stacy."

"Turn off the light and kill the TV and I'll call it even," Daria said before dropping her head back onto her pillow.

Quinn walked over to the TV and turned it off, making sure to stop the VCR as well. On her way out the door, she flicked off the light switch and whispered, "Goodnight, sis," before hurrying downstairs after Stacy.

The downstairs was thankfully devoid of screaming or taxidermied parents. Carol and Jake were sitting in the living room watching the Cowboys game as only native Texans can, screaming at the television at regular intervals. When Quinn and Stacy took the plates to the kitchen, they noticed Helen working on her third bottle of wine at the dinner table. Deciding it was best to leave her be, they returned to the living room and managed to pry Carol away from the game during a commercial.

While Carol went to start the car, Quinn and Stacy stood awkwardly outside the front door. "This is supposed to be the part where I kiss you goodnight and remind you about our picnic tomorrow," Quinn said with a sad smile.

Stacy looked at Quinn with pained eyes. "Quinn…"

"Sorry, just thinking out loud. I shouldn't have said that." Quinn looked down at the ground to her right. "So, we'll know soon."

"Yeah," Stacy agreed, looking down as well. Looking back up, she asked, "I mean, that's a good thing, right?"

"You already know how I feel," Quinn replied, somewhat petulantly.

Stacy wrung her hands and said, "I'll think about it."

"What?" Quinn asked, looking up.

Stacy squirmed and looked away. "You know, us, if we _are_ related."

Quinn's face lit up, eyes full of hope. "Really, you mean—"

Stacy caught Quinn's eye and cut her off. "I said I'd _think_ about it, and only if you promise not to talk about it all weekend. I just want to try and relax until we find out. Okay?"

"Deal," Quinn said with a firm nod. "So, is it okay if I hug you goodbye?"

Stacy reached out and pulled Quinn into a tight embrace, which was quickly returned. After a few seconds, she forced herself to let go. "I better get going. Mom's going to be mad if she misses too much of the game."

"Okay, bye Stacy. I lo— Er, bye."

"Bye, Quinn."

* * *

The next few days were a nervous haze for the Morgendorffer and Rowe families. Stacy and Jake got swabbed by a rather put out lab tech early Friday morning, and Daria, Stacy, and Quinn spent the rest of the weekend sequestered in Daria's room with a box of bad movies and a stockpile of junk food. As well as much needed distraction, this also aided in Daria's continued avoidance of Helen.

On Sunday afternoon, with all the bags packed and ready to go, everyone sat gathered around the Morgendorffer's living room staring at Helen's cell phone. Carol shot Helen a nasty look and said, "I thought you said we'd know before the girls had to leave. They're going to miss their flight at this rate."

Helen glared back. "Well, excuse me if the lab I pulled off of a holiday is running a little slow. Have _you_ got a better facility?"

"Now ladies," Jake said as he held up his hands between them, "how about we all calm down and—" The phone sitting on the coffee table rang before either woman could react to Jake's attempt at peacemaking.

Helen reached for the phone, but Daria swiped it out from under her. Staring straight at her mother she said, "Do you honestly think anyone trusts your impartiality at this point?" Flipping open the phone, she answered, "Hello, Helen Morgendorffer's phone." After a bit of talk with the person on the other end of the line she put Jake and Stacy on the phone to get their permission for the results. Another short conversation later, Daria hung up the phone and tossed it back to her mother.

Daria looked over the assembled people looking at her with hope and fear and said, "I could draw this out dramatically, but we've been waiting all weekend and some of us have a plane to catch. Stacy, Dad, you're not related."

Around the living room, everyone's faces twisted up in a variety of emotions. Helen and Carol wore clear expressions of joy and sorrow, respectively. Quinn was trying to hold back a grin, while Jake did the opposite, hiding what looked like disappointment. Stacy's was the most complex; it looked like she couldn't decide what to feel, wavering between relief and regret. Daria, as usual, was completely impassive.

Quinn quickly slipped her hand around Stacy's, giving it a gentle squeeze. Stacy leaned against Quinn's shoulder, tears in her eyes, and Quinn wrapped an arm around her. As if this were a signal, everyone went back into motion. Jake headed to the liquor cabinet and began to fix himself a martini, Carol dropped her head into her hands and stared at the ground despondently, and Helen grabbed Daria's jacket and dragged her eldest into the kitchen.

"What on Earth do you think you were doing grabbing my phone?" Helen began, waving a finger in Daria's face.

Daria swatted her mother's finger away and pulled her jacket free. Anger building, she said, "Like I said, you had a pretty strong bias. I wasn't sure you wouldn't lie to us to serve your own purposes."

Helen took a step back, "Daria, I would never—"

"Never lie about who someone's parents are?" Daria's voice lost its usual flat affect, and grew harsh. "Then why did I have to hear about the fact that Dad isn't my father from his ex-girlfriend?"

"Daria, I'm sorry you had to find out that way. I never told you because I thought you'd be happier that way."

"I'd be happier, or you would? I know dad tried to get you to tell me. He told me you'd get angry whenever he brought in up. If you were doing it to protect me, why didn't you just tell him that?"

Tears started to build up in the corners of Helen's eyes. "Damn it, Daria, it's hard. The man I love died! Every time I look at you I see him, and I'm overjoyed and crushed at the same time."

"So it _is_ all about you. Did he have a family? Have you been keeping them from seeing me my whole life? What a great way to honor someone's memory."

"You don't understand, you've never had someone taken from you like that. I wanted to tell you, but it was too hard." Helen was crying openly now.

"Too hard? Take a lesson from Dad and put your kids first sometime."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Helen asked, getting combative. "Your father hardly even knows you girls names, much less parents you."

Daria leaned into her mother's face. "He came back to a loveless marriage to take care of us, including me, who's not even his. He probably would have been a better parent if you weren't constantly shutting him down to get your way, but then that's what you always do, push everyone else down to do what's best for you."

Helen didn't back down. "You always like to act so high and mighty. You're the one who told me to lie to your sister and Stacy. You're the one who brought this whole mess out into the open in the first place."

"Sorry for keeping you from sweeping this under the rug," Daria said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "Yes, it was wrong for me to do that to Quinn and Stacy, but at least I did it _for_ them. You just wanted to avoid the fact that Dad might have a kid with Carol, because it would inconvenience you. Tell me, Mom, I never knew him—I didn't even know he existed until a few days ago—but what would Craig think of you now? Did he like people who sacrificed everyone else for their own success?"

In an instant, Helen pulled her hand back and slapped Daria hard across the face, a loud crack echoing across the kitchen. "Don't you dare talk about him; you never even knew him."

Daria put her hand to her cheek, where a bright red mark was growing. She straightened her glasses and looked up at Helen with cold eyes. "No, I didn't," Daria said, her voice back to its usual flatness. "Apparently, I didn't know you very well either. I'm going to take Quinn and Stacy to the airport and then I'm heading straight to Boston. Goodbye." With that, she turned and walked out of the kitchen, and back into the living room.

"Daria, wait!" Helen called weakly after her, stretching an arm out impotently as she watched her daughter walk away. When Daria failed to even slow down, Helen collapsed into a nearby chair and dropped her head into her hands.

When she reached the living room, Daria found Carol gone, presumably having said her goodbyes to Stacy. Quinn and Stacy were still quietly leaning against each other on the couch, while her father stood by the liquor cabinet, nursing a martini.

Quinn looked up from Stacy and gasped. "Daria, what happened to your face?"

"I finally talked things out with Mom," Daria said flatly, not betraying any emotion. "Are you two ready to go? If not you're going to need to find another ride."

"Just let me say goodbye to Mom and—" Quinn's eyes drifted to her sister's cheek. "Just let me say goodbye to _Dad_ , and we can get going."

A quick series of somewhat uncomfortable goodbyes and promises to call followed between the Morgendorffer sisters and their father, with Stacy very awkwardly thanking Jake for having her over, both unable to look each other in the face. As they were about to leave, Jake pulled Daria aside. Quinn gave Daria a questioning look, but Daria just tossed her the keys and said, "Start the car, I'll be out in a minute."

Jake waited for Quinn and Stacy to leave, and then asked, "Daria, did your mother really…"

Daria gave an exasperated sigh. "Yes, Dad, she slapped me."

"Oh, I'm sorry. I'm sure she was just—"

"She slapped her daughter in the face. Why are you defending her?" Daria asked, growing agitated.

"I just don't want you to leave angry. I know how hard it is to come back from that." He tilted his head at the ceiling and half-shouted, "Isn't that right old man! Worthless little Jake never came back until your damn funeral!"

Daria put a hand on her father's shoulder, and softly said, "Dad, focus."

Jake looked around confused, then blushed as he got his bearings. "Sorry, kiddo, I thought I was getting better about that. I'm gonna have to talk to my therapist."

"It was a pretty specific trigger," Daria said, patting her father on the shoulder before retracting her hand. "Look, I'm not saying I'll never talk to Mom again, but she's done a lot of really selfish things, and I'm starting to realize it's been going on for a long time. She needs to be the one to make the first step and she needs to change how she behaves before she does that. Now, I've got to go. Stacy will probably have a panic attack if I make them wait too long."

Jake smiled at his daughter. "Okay, drive safe," he said, pulling her into a hug.

"I will. I love you, Dad," Daria said awkwardly.

"I love you too, kiddo."

* * *

Daria climbed into the car, appreciating the warm interior. She pulled out onto the road and said, "I should find saps to send out ahead of me more often, this is much better than waiting for the car to warm up myself."

"For that to work you'd have to hang out with someone other than Jane," Quinn said with a smirk.

"Touché," Daria said back, smirking back at Quinn through the rearview mirror; Quinn and Stacy were leaning against each other in the backseat. "So, it looks like you two are back on good terms."

"We have a few things to work on," Stacy said looking over at Quinn, "but I think we'll be alright."

Daria thought for a moment, then said, "I have to apologize to you for something Stacy."

"What?" Stacy asked, more out of surprise than curiosity.

"When I dropped Quinn off at the park, I called my mom and told her to get our parents not to talk about the possibility of you two being related." She hesitated a moment, then continued, "I also told her to tell you two that you weren't if you asked."

There was a long pause, then Stacy asked, "Why?"

Daria looked in the mirror at her sister again. "While we were looking for you, Quinn kind of… broke down. I felt like I'd messed things up by telling you. I didn't think about what knowing your father might mean to you, although _now_ I have some idea. Anyway, I'm sorry."

Stacy pulled away from Quinn, swallowed, and asked, "Did you know?"

"No!" Quinn almost shouted, violently shaking her head. "Stace, I swear! I thought Daria might have told Mom something after what she told us in the car and everything that happened at dinner, but other than that I had no idea."

Stacy let out a breath and said, "Okay, I believe you." Turning back to the front seat she said, "I'm not exactly happy about it, but I guess I can understand. You were at least trying to do the right thing, and I know you're actually sorry because you told us when you could have just kept it a secret. That means a lot."

"Thanks, Stacy, you're really understanding," Daria replied. "Although, I guess you'd have to be to date Quinn."

"Very funny," Quinn said, as Stacy giggled. "So Daria, what happened with you and Mom? I mean I've seen her get mad before, but she never…"

"Hit us?" Daria offered.

"Yeah," Quinn said hollowly.

"I don't really want to get into the whole thing, but I figured out she's been putting herself before everyone else our whole lives and I called her on it."

"Oh," Quinn said thoughtfully. "Well, I'm here if you ever want to talk."

"Maybe once I've had some time to think about it. Thanks, Quinn."

"Sure." Quinn looked around the car, trying to find something less serious to talk about, then smirked as she remembered something. "At least one good thing came out of all this."

"What's that?" Daria asked.

"You _definitely_ have a weirder family story than Jane now."

* * *

 **Happy Thanksgiving to those in the US!**

 **This one kept changing on me and got much bigger than I had planned. The original idea was just a story where Stacy ended up being Jake's daughter; I like the parallel of his rages and her freakouts. Obviously this went in a different direction. First the Quinn relationship happened, then Daria being adopted came right the hell out of nowhere, but I decided to run with it.**

 **So, how did it turn out? Undercooked? Delicious and juicy? Burnt to an unreadable crisp? I want your opinion! I'm happy with just readers of course; it's here for you to enjoy after all. Thanks for reading!**


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